Log Cabin Village is a living history museum in Fort Worth, TX, devoted to the preservation of Texas heritage. Each of the 1800s structures, furnished with authentic artifacts, provides a vivid look at life in the nineteenth century frontier. The exhibits include a water-powered gristmill, a one-room schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, an herb garden, and several log home settings. Historical interpreters depict the lifestyle of Texans in the mid to late 1800s.

Contest runs through June 2nd. A winner will be chosen at random and notified on June 3. Entrants must be 18 or older (although gratuitous use of adorable minor family members in your entry is encouraged). Log Cabin Village and Bass Hall staff and volunteers and their families may not enter the contest. Other restrictions may apply. All submissions will be posted on our social media sites. This contest is made possible by the cooperative marketing partnership between the City of Fort Worth's Log Cabin Village and Performing Arts Fort Worth, Inc. (at Bass Hall).

Monday, May 24, 2010

As a reminder, the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial professional golf tournament is taking place across the street from Log Cabin Village. This means that traffic in the area will be more congested than normal and Log Cabin Village Lane will be closed to thru traffic until Sunday evening (May 30). We're still here and ready to see you, though! Just be sure to access our parking lot from the University Drive entrance.

Due to City of Fort Worth budget cuts, Log Cabin Village and most City facilities will be closed for furlough on Friday, May 28. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 29!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Do you secretly wish that you could wear braids like Laura? Did you cry when Jack died? Do you have dreams that involve Pa, a fiddle, and Ma making johnnycakes on the stove? Then THIS contest, sponsored by the cooperative marketing partnership between the City of Fort Worth's Log Cabin Village and Performing Arts Fort Worth, Inc. (at Bass Hall) is for YOU!

Grab your bonnets, aprons, knitting, and needlework! We want to see your "Little House" side: frontier spirit, Ma's home cookin', and hands that are never idle.

To enter, please send us your photo or video of you showing us your pioneer spirit just the way Laura and the rest of the Ingalls family did. You can e-mail us, share it on our Facebook page, or tweet it to us.

Contest starts NOW and runs through June 2nd. A winner will be chosen at random and notified on June 3. Entrants must be 18 or older (although gratuitous use of adorable minor family members in your entry is encouraged). Log Cabin Village and Bass Hall staff and volunteers and their families may not enter the contest. Other restrictions may apply. All submissions will be posted on our social media sites. This contest is made possible by the cooperative marketing partnership between the City of Fort Worth's Log Cabin Village and Performing Arts Fort Worth, Inc. (at Bass Hall).

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Like most museums, Log Cabin Village maintains archival collections consisting of documents, photographs, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera related to our mission (19th century Texas). We also keep archives related to the Village itself, such as records of special events, cabins being moved in, and particularly noteworthy news stories. While we actively collect the information as we see it, we are also fortunate often to inherit the personal "Village archives" held by dedicated staff and volunteer members when they pass.

Recently we received a wonderful file folder filled with 1960s-1970s newspaper clippings related to the Village. These clippings document everything from a school visit to the work of a resident wood carver. What a treasure!

Here are a couple of my favorites:

This clipping, dated February 15, 1974, shows the Shaw Cabin right after it was converted to a working grist mill. We've been grinding corn in it ever since!

Caption: SPINNING WHEEL--A water-powered grist mill will open tomorrow in Log Cabin Village in Forest Park. Opening is set for 1 p.m. Visitors to the city park will be able to watch corn being ground in the mill, after which it will be offered for sale. Old spinning wheels also will be in operation during the day. Admission to the park is 25 cents for adults, 10 cents for children. Sitting by the water wheel is park curator Mrs. Betty Erie.

I don't have a date for the following clipping, but given its reference to the bicentennial "next year" and the jaunty Colonial (rather than frontier pioneer) costuming, it must be sometime during 1975. Who knew that you could gather vegetables, churn butter, and admire a stereoscope all at the same time? Must be the power of the mob caps...

Caption: BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION--Three members of the Texas Girls Choir, from left, Karen Jerigan, Lisa Beckner, and Daphne Eley, will be seen in the choir's upcoming spring concert at 8 p.m. Saturday in Convention Center Theater. The girls are in the Pickard Cabin at Log Cabin Village in Forest Park. The theme of the concert will be the nation's 200th birthday next year.